Here is the exact quote from former NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz when he addressed his flight engineers re the imperiled astronauts of Apollo 13 following its 1970 in-flight explosion: "Gentlemen, we have never lost a man in outer space and, really, to be perfectly honest with you, it just wouldn't sit right with me if such an occurrence were to transpire in these ensuing days. That being the case, I implore you to do everything in your power to see to it that such an untoward incident does not occur, particularly, if such were to transpire while I am on duty, for this would bother me infinitely more and erode my confidence far more than if it would were it to happen on someone else's shift. I know that sounds petty, but, well, that's just the way it is, fellas, what can I say? Therefore - and let me be perfectly frank here - failure - while granted it has a stubborn and oft-mysterious way of rearing its ugly head from time to time, marring even the most perfectly planned venture - is not something we - and when I say 'we' I mean all of us gathered in this flight room - care to encounter on this mission. Perhaps in some as yet to be defined future but certainly not this mission. Now I really hope I'm not asking too much, but if I am, well, maybe we can work something out. Sound good, everybody?"
The screenwriters to the film “Apollo 13”, not unwisely, changed this to: "We never lost an American in space and we're sure as hell not going to lose one on my watch! Failure is not an option!"
BILL
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